Carl Zimmer

Science journalist and author

Aerobiology • evolutionary biology • virology • science communication

1Episode

54 minAnalysed

1Topic

Last reviewed: Jun 8, 2026·Credential: BA Yale (English); long-form science journalism at NYT, National Geographic, Discover; multiple awards including AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award.·First indexed: Jun 8, 2026

About the expert

Focus: Communicating biology and infectious disease science to general audiences

Carl Zimmer is a long-time New York Times science columnist and author of over a dozen books on biology, evolution, and infectious disease. His 2025 book 'Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe' traces the centuries-long failure to understand airborne disease transmission and the institutional resistance that delayed correct framing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why this matters

Science journalist focused on aerobiology, infectious disease, and the history of biology. Tends to view scientific consensus as messy and historically contingent, with institutional positions sometimes lagging clear evidence by decades.

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Topics covered

Airborne Transmission (Human)

Episodes with Carl Zimmer

Carl Zimmer: Air-Borne and the Big Miss With Covid

Many respiratory infections may travel through indoor air as small particles that linger and accumulate, not just close-range droplets that fall within feet. Major institutions including the WHO initially dismissed airborne COVID spread, despite outbreak evidence going back almost a century. Indoor air quality may become a public health frontier on the scale of clean water.

54 minHuman

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